en
supposed," says Professor BROWNE, "that the choice offered by the
warriors of ISLAM was between the QUR'AN and the SWORD; this, however,
is not the fact." There are innumerable evidences to the contrary
which history records.[4] It appears that the exemplary behavior of
the Arabs, under their newly acquired faith, was the main factor not
only in the success of their scheme of conquest, but also in the
impression which it made on the defeated in determining them to adopt
the faith which produced such upright warriors.

[Footnote 3: "Righteousness is not that ye turn your faces to the East
and to the West, but righteousness is this: Whosoever believeth in
God, and the last day, and the angels, and the book, and the prophets;
and whoso, for the love of God, giveth of his wealth unto his kindred,
and unto orphans, and the poor, and the traveller, and to those who
crave alms, and for the release of the captives; and whoso observeth
prayer and giveth in charity; and those who, when they have
covenanted, fulfil their covenant; and who are patient in adversity
and hardship, and in times of violence: these are the righteous and
they that fear the Lord."--QUR'AN, SURA II.]

[Footnote 4: The treaty concluded by HABIB B. MASLAMA with the people
of DABIL in Armenia ran as follows: "In the name of God the merciful,
the clement. This is a letter from HABIB B. MASLAMA to the people of
DABIL, Christians, Magians, and Jews, such of them as are present and
such of them as are absent. Verily I guarantee the safety of your
lives, properties, churches, temples and city walls; ye are secure,
and it is incumbent upon us faithfully to observe this treaty so long
as you observe it and pay the poll-tax and the land-tax. God is
witness, and he sufficeth as a witness."--QUR'AN, V. 104. Concerning
the acceptance of the Poll-Tax from ZOROASTRIANS, as well as from Jews
and Christians. A. VON KREMER'S "Kulturgeschichte d. Orients," Vol. I,
page 59.]

The tremendous political upheaval that the evolution of ISLAM brought
in its train to the affairs of the world does not fall within the
scope of this paper. A highly important fact, however, must not be
lost sight of, that by consolidating and unifying the tottering states
a new civilization was founded which knew how to turn to account the
culture of the ancient states conquered. In this overwhelming
transformation Persia came in, from the outset, to play the most
conspicuous and important part. Th